Looking for more blogging fun? Come visit Danyelle’s Queen of the Clan blog, where she’ll be writing about raising four boisterous kids, being a stay-at-home mama, writing, and how in the world she finds time to do it all!
Posted by: Danyelle | 03-27-2008 | 12:03 PM
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Looking for help with your manuscript? Need your book reviewed? Be sure to check out the Ferguson Authors Editing and Review Services link off to the right for more info!
Posted by: Danyelle | 10-11-2007 | 10:10 PM
Posted in: What's Happening | Comments (3)
My good friend and amazing author, Jeffrey Savage, is coming to Kansas City. While we were emailing each other back and forth talking about getting together for dinner, I came up with a brilliant idea - a literacy night with Jeff! Wow! How awesome would that be?
My church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) is hosting the event on Thursday, May 8th at 7 pm. The address is 15915 W. 143rd St., Olathe, KS. There will be refreshments and an opportunity to visit with Jeff following the presentation.
Please join us for a night of learning and fun - and be sure to bring a friend or two!
Posted by: Danyelle | 04-28-2008 | 08:04 AM
Posted in: Meet An Author | Comments (0)
I’m a happy chick doing a happy dance!
Today, I received a contract in my inbox for six (count them: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6!) short stories for the upcoming book, Mirth from the Meetinghouse by Nichole Giles and C.L. Beck.
Yipee!
Whoo-hoo!
I am totally thrilled!
And just had to share the exciting news!
Posted by: Danyelle | 04-28-2008 | 07:04 AM
Posted in: Danyelle | Writing Chronicles | Comments (0)
Life is short and it’s up to you to make it sweet.
-Sadie Delany
You’ll be amazed at how inspired and rejuvenated you feel when you step out of your comfort zone! Try it!
- Suzanne Russo
Live your life as though there is great joy to be experienced . . . and abundance of goodness in each person you come in contact with, and the knowledge that you have enough inner wisdom to answer the mysteries that challenge you.
- Meladee McCarty
It is the simple things of life that make living worthwhile, the sweet fundamental things such as love and duty, work and rest, and living close to nature.
- Laura Ingalls Wilder
Know, my love, that I should like to call you a thief, because you have stolen my heart.
- Margaret of Nassau
Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth.
- Shirley Chisholm
Efficiency tends to deal with Things. Effectiveness tends to deal with People. We manage Things, we lead People.
- Grace Hopper
Whatever we are waiting for - peace of mind, contentment, grace, the inner awareness of simple abundance - it will surely come to us, but only when we are ready to receive it with an open and grateful heart.
- Sarah Ban Breathnach
Doubt who you will, but never yourself.
- Christine Bovee
Having a to-do list is like having a head on your shoulders when you can’t actually have a head on our shoulders.
- Syd Glasser
Whenever I feel down and out, I shut myself in a room and sit quietly and meditate. I think of all I have to be grateful for. Sometimes I think about something charming or funny my kids have said recently so that I smile, and sometimes I just close my eyes, breathe deeply, and let myself be.
- Abha Iyengar
I love myself when I am laughing . . . and then again when I’m looking mean and impressive.
- Zora Neale Hurston
Women are having to do way too much. They are multitasking, working long hours, and they are still responsible for most of what happens with the family; they are caregivers, best friends, listeners: they are amazing, amazing people.
- Dawn Tarnofsky-Ostroff
Why not seize the pleasure at once, how often is happiness destroyed by preparation, foolish preparations.
- Jane Austen
Posted by: Danyelle | 04-28-2008 | 07:04 AM
Posted in: Quotes to Remember | Comments (0)
Here are the quotes I enjoyed from my March planner pages:
Good taste is the modesty of the mind; that is why it cannot be either imitated or acquired.
- Delphine de Girardin
Whatever the seasoning, whatever the dish, whatever the occasion, do it generously and with love, for that in the end is what the shared experience of cooking and eating is all about.
- Elizabeth Rozin
The only thing better than singing is more singing.
-Ella Fitzgerald
All stratagems are fair in love and war.
- Ellen Wood
I resolve to break the barren soil of my fruitless brain.
- Elizabeth Grymeston
God gives us our relatives - thank God we can choose our friends.
- Ethel Watts Mumford
Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.
- Harriet Tubman
The perfect tranquility of live, which is nowhere to be found but in retreat, a faithful friend adn a good library.
- Aphra Behn
The delights of self-discovery are always available.
- Gail Sheehy
When you get to the end of your rope - tie a knot and hang on.
- Eleanor Roosevelt
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.
- Annie Dillard
An idea as simple as gently smiling at every one before even saying a word can make the day far more productive and peaceful, and far less dramatic.
- Karen Casey
But my heart is all aflutter like the washing on the line.
- Nathalia Crane
I do not know anyone who has got tot he top without hard work. That is the recipe. It will not always get you to the top, but should get you pretty near.
- Margaret Thatcher
I dream, therefore I become.
- Cheryl Renee Grossman
Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.
-Marie Curie
To be successful, the first thing to do is fall in love with your work.
- Mary Lauretta
And love is worth what it cost you, nothing more.
- Marjorie Allen Seiffert
A friend doesn’t go on a diet because you are fat. A friend never defends a husband who gets his wife an electric skillet for her birthday. A friend will tell you she saw your old boyfriend - and he’s a priest.
- Erma Bombeck
Posted by: Danyelle | 04-07-2008 | 08:04 AM
Posted in: Quotes to Remember | Comments (2)
AuthorsIncognito performed a fun skit at the 2008 LDS Storymakers conference. Towards the end of the skit, the group sang a fun song set to VeggieTale’s “We Are the Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything”. Our Storymaker lurker-friend, Tristi, liked what we came up with so much, she just couldn’t get the song out of her head. So she came up with a few more verses. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to practice the whole song, but I wanted to share it with you here. Enjoy!
We Are the Writing Group Who Can Do Anything
by AuthorsIncognito and Tristi Pinkston
We are the writing group who can do anything
We help each other through the ‘net
If you ask us about anything
We’ll help you! We can do anything!
-
Oh, we’ll help you with your query
And we’ll help you if you’re leery
And we’ll help you if you’re weary
Of all that editing,
And we’ll help if you’re tired
And we’ll help you feel inspired
Which is why we all came up here to sing.
-
We are the writing group who can do anything
We help each other through the ‘net
If you ask us about anything
We’ll help you! We can do anything!
Posted by: Danyelle | 04-04-2008 | 02:04 PM
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So, while standing in the lunch line last Saturday, Danyelle and her good friend, Heather Justesen, were waiting to hear the results of the First Chapter contest. In fact, they were so excited to see if they might have won, they gave up their spot in line just as the food was finally in sight!
Everyone get ready to pull out your pom poms and cheer!
Danyelle’s submission Rebound took 3rd place in the Women’s Fiction category! If you’re totally dying of curiousity, you can read the first chapter of Rebound for a limited time. Just look for the link on the right hand side. Please either leave me a comment or send me an email to let me know how you liked it. (A very fun fact: Heather Justesen received both 1st and 2nd place in the Women’s Fiction Category! Way to go, Heather!)
Also . . . Danyelle chatted with B.J. Rowley after the conference. He pulled out his nifty contest spreadsheet and showed her that her Teaching Special Spirits: Family Edition submission actually tied for first place in the non-fiction category. After a tie-breaker vote, Danyelle’s friend, Nichole Giles received 1st place! Congrats, Nichole!
Many AuthorsIncognito members placed in the First Chapter contest. Congrats to all the contest winners!
Posted by: Danyelle | 03-27-2008 | 11:03 AM
Posted in: Danyelle | Writing Chronicles | Authors Incognito | Writing Awards | Writing Contests | Writers Conferences | Comments (4)
The 2008 LDS Storymakers Writers Conference was incredible. This is the fourth year I’ve attended and each year, the conference just gets better and better.
This year, the Storymakers managed to entice Lisa Mangum from Desert Book, Kirk Shaw from Covenant Communications , Timothy Travaglini from G.P. Putnam’s Sons , and Jamie Weiss Chilton from Andrea Brown Literary Agency to attend the conference, provide pitch sessions, manuscript reviews, and teach classes. If you are a writer and don’t know these names, then you need to do some research. They are each highly respected experts in their fields. It was an amazing opportunity to meet each of them and attend their classes.
Boot Camp was also excellent this year. I love sitting down with people I’ve never met and a published author while they rip my manuscript to shreds. Just kidding! I actually received lots of excellent feedback. And yes, some it it was “I totally loved this part!” and some others were “I think this could use some work.” I appreciate the way Boot Camp is organized and how each member of your review table gave me feedback without deflating my desire to write. Kudos to Tristi Pinkston and Candace Salima who were the Drill Sergents who organized and ran Boot Camp.
In typical Storymakers fashion, we also shared lots of laughs and had a wonderful time. I totally loved Tristi Pinkston disguised as a cute pink Easter Bunny. (you can see pics at Tristi’s website!). Another fun part was when this year’s conference queens (the amazing H.B. Moore and Annette Lyon ) crowned next year’s conference king, Jeffrey S. Savage (author of several books, including my favorite – The Shandra Covington series).
The AuthorsIncognito group had a blast putting on a skit, having a drawing for baskets, and of course, our Annual AuthorsIncognito get together. This year, we met Friday night for music, games, munchies, and lots of chatting. It was great to see all of my fellow AI friends. A year is really too long for us to see each other in person—but thank goodness we email each other constantly!
There’s so much more I could tell you, but it would take pages and pages and pages to write it all down. Lastly, I’d just like to send out a HUGE thank you to all the LDS Storymakers who put this conference together for us wanna-be’s. You are all fabulous!
Posted by: Danyelle | 03-27-2008 | 11:03 AM
Posted in: Danyelle | Writing Chronicles | Authors Incognito | Writers Conferences | Comments (0)
The 1st Annual Whitney Awards gala was held March 22nd, at the conclusion of the LDS Storymakers Writers Conference. And the winners are . . .
Best Romance/Women’s Fiction: Michele Paige Holmes ~ Counting Stars
Best Mystery/Suspense: Josi Kilpack ~ Sheep’s Clothing
Best Young Adult/Children’s Fiction: Brandon Mull ~ Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star
Best Speculative Fiction: Shannon Hale ~ Book of a Thousand Days
Best Historical: H.B. Moore ~ Out of Jerusalem: Land of Inheritance
Best Novel By a New Author: Jessica Day George ~ Dragonslippers
Best Novel of the Year: Coke Newell~ On the Road to Heaven
I’ve read both Counting Stars and Sheep’s Clothing several times. They are truly excellent books! As for the rest, since I haven’t read them, I can only say if they won a Whitney, they must be good. I’ve now added them to my long “Must Read” book list.
Congrats to all the winners!
Posted by: Danyelle | 03-27-2008 | 10:03 AM
Posted in: Writing Awards | Comments (0)
